Apparatus for opening packs.



max/ m)? A. R. 'MOARTHUR. APPARATUS FOR OPENING PACKS. APPLIIOATION FILED JAIL-'50, 1908.

976,895. Y Patented Nov. 29, 1910,

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EWJMQQMO I A. R. MOART HUR.

APPARATUS FOR orsmme PACKS.

- APPLIIOATIOK I'ILBD JAN. 30, 1908. 976,895 Patented Nov. 29, 1910.

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Q is G-S WITNES SESA Md 25M" A. R. MQARTHUR. APPARATUS FOR OPENING PACKS. APPLIOATIOF I'ILE D 1111.30, 1908. 97 95, 7 I Patented N0v.29, 1910.

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WITNESSES INVENTOR mmawcmw Q1 NEW? A R. MoARTHUR. APPARATUS For. "OPENING? PACKS. IAPPLIUATIOH FILED JAR. 80, 1908.

976,895. v Patented Nov 29,'1 910.

4 SHEETS-SHEET}.

, UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

ARTHUR. n. MQARTHUR, or ELWOOD, \INDIANA, AssIeNon TO AMERICAN snnn'r &

, TIN PLATE COMPANY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA,

JERSEY.

A jconronntrron on NEW APPARATUS ron ornnme rAoKsj- Specification o1 Letters Patent. I Patented Nov. 29., 1910.

Application filed January 30,1908. Serial No. 413,405.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,

of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Opening Packs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this speclfication,

in which Figure 1' is a plan'view of one form of apparatus embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation an end view. Fig. .4 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the apparatus shown 'in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. Fig. 5 is a detail plan showing the construction of the beater shafts and arms forming. part of this apparatus.

My invention has relation to'apparatus foropening sheet metal packs, and is designed to provide apparatus of simple and, e

ci'ent character, whereby packs may be more rapidly opened.

precise nature of my invention w ll,

The be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in which I have shown one embodiment thereof, it being however, that various changes may be made therein by those skilled in the artwithout departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings, the frame of the machine. Journaled between the side portions of this frame are a plurality of feed-in rollers 3, whichare arranged m vertical pairs with the r surfaces in contact with each other, thepoints of contact of adjacent pairs being in different horizontal planes. The upper roller of each;

pair is preferably journaled, in' boxes 4, which are vertically movable in guideway's 5, of the frame, springs 6 .being'seated upon said boxes and engaged by adjustablefollowers 7 whereby the pressure of the rollers may be regulated as may bedesired. The

rollers are preferably-all positively drivenin any suitable manner. 'In the machine shown in the drawings, I have shown the lower rollers as having extended. driving shaft connections 8, carrying pinions 9, which respectively mesh with corresponding pinions 10 on the shafts of the upper rollers, these pinions being at opposite sides of the machine for adjacent pairs of'rolle'rs.

A'RTHUR R. MC",

the rollers 3. The upper roller of each pair the same; and Fig. 3 is Behind the lastpair of'.corrugating rollers 12 is a'pair of feeding andflattening rollers v the numeral 2 designate 1.

Depending 1n the The rollers 3'are preferably smooth-surfaced rollers. Placed behind the last pair of these rollers 3 is a pair of corrugating rollers 11, having their corrugations running longitudinally thereof, while behind these corrugating rollers are two more pairs of corrugating rollers 12, having their'corrugations extending circumferentially thereof. 'lhe-rollers 11 and 12 are driven by shafts 13, and pinions14, in a similar manner to is also preferably vertically adjustable and is'held in yielding contact with its fellow by an" adjustable spring and follower 15.

1,6,which are also positively driven by the shaft 17, and pinions 18.

Behind the feedingand flattening rollers 17 are journaled two transverselyl extending beater shafts 19, each of whic carries a series vof broad beater blades or arms 20, the

two shafts being preferably arranged one above the other. These beater shafts are intergeared atone end by the pinions 21,.

and are driven by the pulleys 22, .and so i 24 on an extension of the lower beater-shaft.

. The pulleys 22 and 24 are fast to'this'shaftextension, while the intermediate pulley 23 is a loose pulley. These alloys are driven by a strai ht belt 25 and a crossed belt 26 from a be t wheel 27 on adriving shaft 28.

th of the packs as theyv piss through the aters are one or more gers 29, which are carried by a transverse rocker shaft 30,'having an arm 31, which is connected by a link 32, with'one arm of a horizontal bell crank lever 33, whose other ar m is connected to a belt-shifting bar 34, which engages the belts 25 and 26. designates a pair of feed-out rollers at the delivery end of the machine, said rollers being mounted in 'vertically adjustable boxes 36, springs 37 being seated-upon the upper box with adjustable followers 38, whereby the bite of the rollers'may be adjusted as, may

be desired to suit packs of varying 'thicknesses.

39 designates suitable guides which extend between the heaters and which guide the arm of the rock shaft-30, forthe purpose of 7 mal positions, after they have been operated by the passage of a pack.

The operation is as follows: The packs to be opened are fed into the machine through the series of rollers 3. Owing to the fact that adjacent rollers have their points of contact in different horizontal planes, as before described, the packs in passing through the rollers are subjected to a bending action alternately inopposite directions, after which they pass to the action of the longitudinally corrugated rollers 11, and thence to the action of the circumferentially corrugated rollers 12.. ,By means of these rollers, the packs are corrugated both trans- .versely and'longitudinally, this double corrugating combined with the previous hending action serving to loosen the sheets. The packs then pass through the pair of feeding and flattening rollers to the action of the heaters 20. Up to the time the packs are received in the bite of the feed-out rollers, these heaters are acting upon the pack in the direction in which the pack is moving. As the packs pass into the bite of these rollers, however, they actuate the depending fingers 29, and through the described connections, shift the belts 25 respectively from the fast and loose pulleys 23 to the loose pu ey 23 and fast pulley 24, so that the heater shafts are now driven by the crossed belt 26 in a direction the reverse to that of their previous rotation. The action of the beatersis therefore reversed, while the packs are passing through the feed-out rollers, the purpose of this reversal being to prevent the kicking and kinking of the sheets by the heaters while they are in the grip of the fced0ut rollers. If, at this time, the heaters were revolving in "the direction of movement of the pack, the rotation of the heaters at a higher speed than the peripheral speed of the feed-out rollers would tend to kink and kick the sheets, but by reversing the action of the heaters at this time, as described, the loosening effect of the beating action is retained, and thus kicking and kinking is effectually prevented.

By bending the packs in the manner described for corrugating them in both directions, and finally subjecting them to the action of the revolving beaters,'the sheets of the packs are loosened and opened in an elhcicnt and rapid manner. I do not limit myself, however to the particular means herein shown and described for effecting the bending and corrugating of the packs previous to their operation by the heaters, since this may he done in variousways; but I believe myself to be the first to employ beaters, such as described, for acting upon packs after they have been bent or corrugated.

It is also obviouslthat Where the bending and corrugating is effected by means of rollers, such as herein described, any suitable number of pairs of bending and corrugating rollers may be employed. The intermediate flattening rollers may be dispensed With and the sheets passed directly from the last corrugating roller to the action of the heaters heaters arranged to act against opposite surfaces of the packs, and means for feeding the packs to the action of the heaters, substantially as described. V

4. In apparatus for opening packs, means for bending thepacks, and rotary heaters arranged to beat the bent packs, substantially as described.

In apparatus for opening packs, means for bending the packs, and rotary heaters arranged to beat the bent pac 5, together with means for reversing the direction of rotation of the heaters While they are acting upon the packs, substantially as described.

(3. In apparatus for opening packs, means for corrugating the packs, and heaters arranged to subsequently heat the opposite sides of the packs, substantially as described.

7. In apparatus for opening packs, means for corrugating the packs, and heaters arranged to subsequently heat the opposite sides of the packs, together with means for reversing the action of the heaters While they are acting upon the pack, substantially as described.

8. In apparatus for opening packs, rotary heaters arranged to act upon the packs, a. pair of feed-out rollers through which the packs pass from the heaters, and means for reversing the direction of. rotat on of the heaters When the packs enter the bite of the feed-out rollers, substantially as described.

9. In apparatus for opening packs, the combination of bending rollers arranged in sets with their passes out of line with each other, corrugating rollers havin grooves or corrugations on their outer sur ace, and rotary heaters arranged to act upon opposite sides of the bent and corrugated packs, substantially as described.-

10. In apparatus for opening packs, the

combination of bending rollers arranged in heaters arranged to act upon opposite sides of the bent and corrugated packs, a pair of .the heaters as the packs enter the bite of the feed soul; rollers, substantially as describcd. v 4

11. In apparatus for opening packs, the combination of a series of sets of bending rollers having their passes out of line with each other, of corrugating rollers arranged to operate upon the pack subsequently to the bonding rollers, said corrugating rollers having grooves or corrugations extending in different directions on difi erent rollers; sub stantially as described.

12. in apparatus for opening packs, the combination with means for bending the packs, of rotary heaters arranged to act upon opposite sides of the bent packs, gearing arranged to reverse the direction of rotation of the heaters, and shifting devices for the gearing arranged to be engaged. and operated by the contact of the packs there with; substantially described. I p

'13. In apparatus for opening packs, the combination with means for Cori-ligating the packs, of rotary heaters arranged to act upon opposite sides of the corrugated packs, gearing arrai'iged to reverse the direction of rotation of the heaters, and shifting devices for the gearing arranged to be engaged and operated by the contact of the packs therewith, substantially as described.

14. In apparatus for opening packs, the

combination with means for bending and,

corrugating the packs of rotary heaters arranged to act upon opposite sides of the bent and cwrugated packs,gcaring arranged to reverse the direction of rotation of'thc heaters, and shitting devices for the gearing arranged to he engaged and operated by the contact of the packs therewith, substantially as described. I

15. in apparatus for opening packs heaters arranged to deliver blows upon the packs, mechanism for actuating said heaters and. means for bodily moving said packs relatively to the heaters; substantially as described 16. Apparatus for opening packs, -comprising heaters arranged to deliver blows upon the packs and mechanism for rotating said heaters in either of opposite directions: substantially as described.

17.111 apparatus for opening packs a plurality of heaters arranged to deliver blows alternately upon opposlte sides of the packs and mechanism for actuating said heaters; substantially as described.

N. in apparatus for opening packs rotating beaters arranged to deliver blows upon -the packs and mechanism for rotating said heaters; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

P. H. BURNETT, J oHN i1 HT'I'I 

